Aftershock
by CelestialSonata7
Summary: Devastation can happen in an instant. How you react to it just might be the difference between life and death. An earthquake jeopardizes the Palm Woods, as well as the lives, and sanity of our four boys. Two-shot. NO SLASH.
1. Epicenter

**Author's note: As requested by BookWorkKendall. I'm sorry this took sooo long. Lots is going on and I just couldn't find the time, or the motivation after a long, tiring day of school, to do it.**

**Also sorry it's like, extra long, but the ideas just kept flowing! My friend said that no one would read any one-shot if it was too long, so, I cut it into two parts. I didn't want to because the break kind of ruins the flow, but it had to be done I guess. :P Sorry if it's a bore. :\**

**Bromance and angst all around. I hope you like it BookWorkKendall!**

**This is the very first story request I've ever done, so I hope it's okay. :)**

**No slash, just friendship.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Aftershock

Kendall let out a big yawn as he stretched his tired limbs, walking down the hall. Then he rounded the corner, where he saw Logan in the living room reading a book, with the TV on.

"Mordig." Kendall said through a yawn as he stretched again. He came around and plopped onto the couch beside Logan.

Logan smiled at him, setting his book down. "Morning to you too."

"Where's everybody?" Kendall asked as he sleepily observed the almost empty apartment.

"Your mom and Katie went shopping." Logan answered as he got up and went to the kitchen. "And Carlos and James are down by the pool." Logan lifted a pan lid off a plate by the stove and placed the plate on the counter as Kendall sat in one of the chairs. "Your mom made breakfast."

"Thanks." Kendall said as he stuffed a piece of pancake in his mouth. "So,". He began with a mouthful. "Why aren't you down there with the guys?"

"Someone had to give you that." Logan pointed out, gesturing to the plate of pancakes. "Plus I just felt like sitting in and reading today. It's a little too loud outside."

"Pool's full, huh?" Kendall asked as he mouthed another fork-full.

Logan shook his head. "Nah, just James and Carlos. But you know them. They're a whole big loud party all on their own." He smirked.

Kendall chuckled. "That's true." He finished his breakfast and pushed the plate aside, then crossed his arms on the counter and laid his head in them. "Soo tired." He croaked.

Logan chuckled. "Yeah well, that's what you get for arguing with Gustavo again yesterday at rehearsal. You're just lucky Kelly convinced him _not_ to ruin our day off today for more work."

"It's not my fault he's a turd." Kendall muttered into his arms.

"Well it's your fault for pointing it out." Logan chuckled.

"Whatever." Kendall muttered. "I don't want to talk, or _think_ about Gustavo on our day off."

Logan raised his hands in submission. "Subject dropped."

"Good." Kendall said, sitting up. "Then let's go find James and Carlos and have some fun." He said with a smile.

"Lead the way chief." Logan smiled.

* * *

"Carlos! Over here!" James yelled across the pool. "I'm open!"

"Catch it James!" Carlos cried from the other side of the pool as he tossed the football over. It went soaring through the air.

James jumped up in the pool, causing water to splash up over the edge, and caught the ball. "Got it!" James cheered, then slammed the ball into the water, causing more water to splash out. "Touchdown!" He cheered.

"We're the winners!" Carlos cheered.

James sighed. "Yeah, 'cause we're the only players." He said sourly. "Why does everybody have to be at auditions today? What is it, 'international audition day' or something?" He muttered.

Carlos swam over to James. "It _is_ kinda weird that almost everyone in the Palm Woods got an audition on the same day."

"Either that or record deals." James added. "Man! This is no way to spend our day off!"

"I wish we had someone to pl-" Carlos started, when his phone in his jacket on the pool chair near the doors beeped. He lifted out of the pool and checked it.

"Who is it?" James asked.

"It's Logan!" Carlos said cheerfully. "Kendall finally woke up. They're coming down to play with us!"

"Sweet!" James cheered. "Now it'll be a real game!"

"They're in the elevator right now." Carlos said as he read the text. "They'll be down in a few minutes."

"And then we'll totally kick their butts!" James said confidently. "They don't stand a-" But he stopped, when he heard an odd sound. It sounded like, rumbling. "Hey, do you hear that?" James asked.

"Do you _feel_ that?" Carlos asked worriedly as he observed the ground under his feet. He looked back to James still in the pool. "The ground's shaking."

"I don't feel it." James said, then went to lift himself out of the pool, but the second he touched the edge he stopped. "Whoa, okay I feel it now. What _is_ that?"

"It's the apocalypse!" Carlos cried. "We're all gonna die!"

"Carlos, calm down." James said. "It's not the apocalypse. It's just a. . .Uuuh. . ."

"What?" Carlos asked. "What could it possibly be if not the apocal-" He was cut off when the rumbling made something break in the lobby. Carlos and James both shot their heads over to see the potted plants and front desk shaking apart.

James' eyes widened. "Earthquake!" He yelled. "It's an earthquake! We gotta get out of-" He stopped when he noticed an over-head balcony cracking and breaking, chunks of it falling around them. Then the whole balcony came apart from the building and raced down towards them. "Look out!" James yelled, then dived into the water, swimming away.

Carlos looked up and noticed just as the balcony was coming for him. He jumped back just as the balcony made contact with the ground and he fell backwards into the pool with a big splash.

James swam as far as he dared without knowing what happened to Carlos. He heard Carlos cry out and then a splash, but then the loud rumbling drowned everything else out.

A huge piece of wall landed mere inches from where James was swimming forward, forcing him to pull back and swim the other way, towards where the fallen balcony was sitting; Half in the water, half on the ground in front of the door. James swam right up against the balcony and used it as cover from the falling building slabs and debris. He pushed himself as far against the wall of the balcony as he could and closed his eyes, shielding his head.

The only sounds around James was the rumble of the ground, and the shattering of anything that the crumbling building crushed. James curled up as much as he could against the wall in the pool. Splashes sounded all around him. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying it would stop, that he'd be alright, that Carlos was alright, that everyone was alright. He'd never been so scared in his life.

* * *

"Get down!" Logan yelled over the rumble and creaking of the elevator. He grabbed Kendall's arm and led him to the ground, both laying flat on their stomachs and covering their heads.

Loud thumps sounded faintly in the background, while the frozen elevator creaked and groaned and rocked ominously, and the lights flickered before finally going out.

"It's gonna bre-" Kendall started to yell, but was cut off when the elevator suddenly plummeted downwards.

Kendall and Logan were thrown around in the small room, roughly banging into the walls and the railing.

Kendall slammed into the wall hard, then felt Logan roughly smack against him. Kendall quickly grabbed Logan's arms, holding him safe against his chest. At least, he hoped they'd be safe.

The elevator caught and stopped rapidly, giving both boys whip-lash. Kendall's head smacked hard against the wall, and he saw spots flashing in front of his vision. Dizziness overwhelmed him. He heard a loud clatter, before finally passing out.

* * *

The rumble slowed, the loud bangs and clangs and thumps of falling building pieces stopped, then, everything was still.

James tentatively peeked out from behind his arms, looking around the chaos. The whole Palm Woods was littered with debris of all sizes. Everything was in ruins.

"Carlos?" James called, slowly treading through the water as he looked about. "Carlos!" He looked around where he last saw him. Nothing.

_A splash_. James remembered Carlos cry out and then a splash. James quickly looked into the water, but it was too dusty on the surface from all the debris to see anything. He took a deep breath and dived under.

James swam under as fast as he could, looking for any sign of Carlos. He swam back to the balcony, trying to get around it to look.

Suddenly he caught sight of something at the bottom of the pool, right next to the balcony; Movement. He swam down as fast as he could.

A large slab of the building was laying at the bottom, and caught underneath it was a part of Carlos' shorts. Carlos tried desperately to pull the small snagged material from the slab. He pulled, trying to rip his shorts, but they were too stong. He tried lifting the slab, but it was too heavy. He tried taking them off completely, but too much of the slab covered his shorts, and he couldn't wriggle through them. His lungs burned with lack of oxygen and his leg hurt from rubbing up against the slab. He was just thankful it missed his leg.

Carlos was panicking. He couldn't free himself. He was stuck, and running out of air. Black spots danced in front of him, he was starting to give up.

Suddenly Carlos felt a hand on his shoulder and he jerked around to see James by his side. James immediately went to the slab and tried lifting it.

With the newfound determination, Carlos helped James in trying to lift the slab. With their combined strength, it slowly started to raise.

But Carlos' strength was fading as his lungs screamed for air. The black dots got bigger and bigger, and Carlos felt his eyelids drooping. Finally, he lost consciousness.

James panicked as he saw Carlos' eyes starting to droop. He lifted with all his might, trying to get the slab up enough for Carlos' snagged shorts to slip out. The slab got heavier as Carlos' body went limp.

James pulled himself to the very bottom of the pool, then stood on the floor, placing his hands better on the slab. Then he lifted as hard as he could with his legs and arms combined.

Finally the slab rose enough and Carlos floated out from under it. James quickly dropped it and grabbed Carlos, slinging one of his arms around his shoulders and swimming to the surface as fast as he could.

James emerged from the water coughing and sputtering. He swam to the edge of the pool and lifted Carlos onto solid ground, before climbing up as well.

"Carlos." James strained through his coughing. James bent over Carlos' unconscious body and laid his head against his chest, praying for a heartbeat. But his own heart dropped when he couldn't find one.

James wasted no time. He quickly lifted Carlos' chin and blew two breaths into his mouth, then positioned his hands on Carlos' chest, pushing down repeatedly. Just like Logan had taught him.

"One. Two. Three. Four. . ." James counted out loud as he compressed Carlos' chest. Thirty compressions. James blew two breaths into Carlos' mouth. "Come on Carlos." James said anxiously. Thirty compressions. "Come on!" Two breaths.

Suddenly water shot up out of Carlos' mouth and Carlos turned to the side, gagging and coughing.

James helped Carlos on his side and rubbed his back. "Carlos?" He asked hopefully.

"James?" Carlos croaked in between coughs. Finally he settled down and laid back on his back.

"Are you alright?" James asked frantically.

Carlos nodded through a cough. "I think so." He croaked.

James breathed out a sigh of relief. "Don't you ever scare me like that again." He said softly, then wrapped his arm around Carlos' back and waist and helped him sit up.

"No promises." Carlos joked, then coughed again.

Once Carlos' coughs settled, James immediately wrapped his arms around Carlos, pulling him into a tight hug.

Carlos hugged him back just as tight, tears in his eyes. "Thanks James." He whispered.

James sniffled before pulling away with a smile and a nod. He kept his hands on Carlos' shoulders and looked him over. "You sure you're okay?" He asked.

Carlos looked himself over, before nodding. "Positive." He promised with a small smile.

James nodded. "Good."

Carlos looked around the pool, devastation creeping into his heart. "Everything's broken." He said softly in a cracking voice.

James slung an arm gently around his shoulders. "I know." He whispered in despair, and he and Carlos both leaned their heads against each other. They looked around the pool, noticing all the rocks and broken building pieces, the glass shards everywhere, the dirt and dust everywhere.

"I hope everyone else is okay." Carlos said as they scanned the pool sadly.

"Me too." James said. "Luckily not a lot of people were here when it hit. There'd probably be. . ." But he stopped when he, and Carlos both rested their eyes on something on the ground; Carlos' cell phone, near the balcony, and their eyes widened in the same thought.

* * *

Kendall involuntarily groaned as he lifted his aching head. He pressed his hand against his temple in hopes of soothing the pain and stop the spinning. '_What happened?_' His foggy mind couldn't form a complete thought. He stopped moving and took a deep breath, trying to clear his head. Then he observed his surroundings.

Everything was pitch-black. Kendall could barely see his hand in front of him. The only light he had was a dim glow from above him. He looked up to see a long narrow tunnel rising upwards that had lights all along it. Where was he?

Suddenly everything came back in a dizzying flash. The rumbling. The shaking. The rocking. The earthquake. The elevator falling.

Kendall was still in the elevator. The light above him was the shaft and it was exposed because the cover to the emergency exit came off. When did that happen?

Kendall's slow and foggy mind finally caught up and his breath accelerated. "Logan!" He called groggily. "Logan, are you okay?" He felt around, feeling soft material beside him. A jacket. Filled by an arm.

"Mmm." Logan groaned beside him.

Kendall scooted closer to him and tried to look him over. "Can you hear me?" He asked gently.

"Kendall?" Logan croaked. "What happened?" Kendall vaguely saw the silhouette of Logan's hand touch his head the same way Kendall had done when he woke up.

"The elevator fell." Kendall explained. "But I think the emergency break caught it in time. We didn't hit the bottom."

"Well that's good at least." Logan croaked groggily. "Are you okay? You're not hurt or anything?"

"I think I'm fine." Kendall said. "Got a little bump on my head,". He said as he reached to the back of his head and prodded at the bump tentatively, wincing and hissing slightly. "But I don't think it's too bad. No concussion or anything. You?"

There was silence for a bit.

Kendall frowned in the darkness, trying to see Logan's face. "Logan?" He asked in growing worry. What if he'd bumped his head too and _did_ have a concussion? What if he fell asleep and never woke up again? What if-

"My phone broke from the fall." Logan said suddenly, cutting through Kendall's panic. "I landed on it and it got crushed. Do you have yours?"

Kendall felt around in his pocket. "Yes! I do." He yelled triumphantly, pulling it out. He pressed a random button and illuminated the screen, which in turn, lit up the room a bit more. Kendall could finally see Logan's fac-

Kendall gasped. "Oh my god." He whispered. His face paled and tears filled his eyes as his stomach churned. "Logan." Kendall whispered tearfully.

A small pipe from above, at least the size of a recorder instrument, must've fallen through the ceiling. That's why the cover came off. The small, short pipe had broken through the ceiling, broken through the cover and flung it off. The small pipe that had imbedded itself into Logan's left side, near the stomach.

Kendall had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop from throwing up. Blood soaked the elevator floor around Logan. _Logan's_ blood. Kendall's vision swam, getting blurry from tears. He felt lightheaded.

"Just breath." Logan instructed. "Kendall, look away and breath!"

Kendall jerked his head to the wall, squeezing his eyes shut as he gasped for air. He gripped his shirt on his chest tightly, trying to calm down.

"Slow breaths." Logan soothed calmly. "In, out. In, out."

Finally Kendall's breathing slowed as he followed Logan's instructions. '_In and out. In and out._' He slowly opened his eyes, staring at the floor in front of him.

"You good?" Logan asked.

Kendall shook his head. "No." He muttered in a cracking voice. He slowly turned his head to face Logan, and looked at the piece of metal sticking out of his left side. Kendall looked away again, squeezing his eyes shut as tears ran down his cheeks. He covered his mouth to stifle a sob.

Logan managed to reach Kendall's hand and squeezed it lightly. "Easy Kendall." He soothed. "Try to stay calm."

Kendall sniffled and wiped his face, before huffing determinedly and looking back to face Logan. "Are you. . ." He trailed off.

Logan nodded slowly. "I'm okay, for now." He said. "But, you should call. . ."

Kendall was already dialing his phone as Logan spoke.

"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?"

"M-my friend's hurt." Kendall said shakily through the phone. "He w-was stabbed by a falling piece of pipe. T-there's lots of b-blood and I d-don't-"

"Okay sir." The woman on the other end cut in. "Just calm down. Deep breaths. Is your friend conscious?"

"Yes." Kendall answered in a shaking voice. "He says he fine, for now."

"So he's coherent." The woman confirmed. "Alright. Where are you?"

"The Palm Woods hotel." Kendall answered. "We're stuck in the elevator. The earthquake cut the power."

There was shuffling on the other end. "Alright, someone will be there soon." The woman assured. "I have a medic here that's going to walk you through what you need to do next. Hang on."

"Wait, what I need to do next?" Kendall asked.

"Hello." A male voice said through the phone. "My name's David. I'm a medic here at the hospital. My team is already on the way to your location, and I'll be joining them shortly."

"That's great." Kendall said. "We'll be waiting for you."

"What's your name, lad?" David asked.

"Kendall." He answered.

"Alright Kendall." David said. "You say your friend was stabbed by a pipe?"

"Yes." Kendall confirmed shakily. "He's bleeding a lot."

"Where is the pipe?" David asked.

"In his left side." Kendall said, shooting a reluctant glance to Logan and the pipe. "Near his stomach."

"Okay." David said slowly. "I need you to do something for me. It's going to be hard for you, but you have to do it."

Kendall gulped. "What is it?" He asked in a cracking voice.

"You're going to have to pull it out." David said slowly.

"What?" Kendall exclaimed. "I can't do that! I'll just wait for you guys to get here. I can't do that!"

"Kendall." David said firmly. "If you don't, the wound could get infected. That'll be even worse for your friend."

"Worse than getting a pipe yanked out of his stomach?" Kendall asked bitterly. "I can't do it."

"If you want to help your friend, you have to." David said gently.

"But-" Kendall started shakily.

"It's okay Kendall." David said. "I know you're scared. But this will help your friend in the long run, trust me."

Kendall breathed hard as he processed everything. He tentatively looked over with teary eyes, to Logan.

Logan stared at him with pained eyes. "Please Kendall." He said softly. "You have to do this."

A few tears slipped down Kendall's cheeks. Logan hadn't even heard his conversation with David and he knew it had to be done. And he was counting on Kendall to do it.

Kendall closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay." He said in a cracking voice. "What do I have to do?"

"Okay." David began. "First, do you have any gauze or a towel or anything with you?"

"No." Kendall cursed himself. The one time they weren't planning on swimming in the pool and it could've saved them right then. They were just planning on getting Carlos and James to play in the park with them.

"What about,". David continued. "A sweater, or a jacket? Even a thick shirt."

"I'm wearing a thick, suede Autumn jacket." Kendall said hopefully. "Would that work?"

"Perfectly." David said. "Okay, fold that up and keep it handy, you'll need to get to it fast."

Kendall quickly took his jacket off and folded it, setting it near Logan. "Okay. Now what?"

David sighed. "Now comes the tricky part. You need to pull it out the same angle it entered."

"It's straight up." Kendall said, barely resisting the urge to throw up as he stared at it.

Logan laid a gentle hand on Kendall's for comfort. Kendall offered a sad smile in return to him.

"Okay, that's good." David said. "It'll make it easier to pull out. Now position yourself right above your friend, the same angle the metal would've entered."

Kendall scooted right up beside Logan and leaned on his knees. "Okay."

"Now this is important." David said urgently. "When you pull it out, you need to be fast. One smooth motion. You need to yank it out as smoothly as you can, and as fast as you can. It'll be less painful for your friend."

"Right. Got it." Kendall said in a cracking voice.

"The second it's out,". David continued. "_Immediately_ push the jacket over the wound with all your strength. The wound will bleed a lot once the metal's out, so you gotta slow it down. You don't want your friend to bleed to death."

A sob escaped Kendall's lips at the word _death_. This was too much for him. There was a possibility that Logan could _die_. There was a possibility that Logan could die because of _Kendall_! Because he didn't do what needed to be done right. Because he messed up.

Kendall couldn't mess up. Logan was counting on him. He wasn't going to let Logan down.

"Okay." Kendall said in a cracking voice. "Anything else?"

"That's everything." David said. "I'm afraid I can't help you anymore until I get there."

Kendall swallowed hard. "O-okay."

"I'll stay on the line until you've done it." David said. "In case something goes wrong, I'll tell you what you can do next."

"Thank you sir." Kendall said shakily.

"Just David." David said gently. "I know you can do this Kendall. Be strong. For your friend."

Kendall took a deep breath before setting the phone down on the ground beside him. Then he reluctantly looked to Logan.

Logan offered him a small smile. "It's gonna be okay Kendall." He said gently. "I know you'll do fine."

"It's gonna hurt you." Kendall whispered in horror.

"I know." Logan said solemnly. "But it has to be done. It'll be better once it's out."

Kendall ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I can't do this." He whispered.

"Yes you can Kendall." Logan said. "You're the strongest person I know. You can do this."

Kendall sighed, before nodding and positioning himself better, right above Logan and the pipe. He tentatively brought a shaky hand and touched the pipe.

Logan hissed in pain as the pipe was disturbed slightly, and Kendall immediately retracted his hand.

"I'm sorry!" Kendall said frantically. He gripped his hair in frustration. "I can't do this!"

Logan grabbed one of Kendall's hands. "Yes, you can." He strained. "Please." He whispered. "You have to."

Kendall stared into Logan's pleading and teary eyes. Finally he sniffled and straightened again.

Kendall slowly brought one hand to grip the pipe, and the other to press against Logan's side, desperately trying to ignore Logan's hisses of pain. He looked over to Logan. "You ready?"

Logan nodded, his breath quickening in anticipation. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared himself.

"One,". Kendall began, his heart pounding out of his chest. "Two. . .Three!" One smooth motion.

Logan screamed harder than he'd ever screamed before. He'd tried hard to hold it, to stifle it, at least for Kendall's sake. But it ripped through his throat and echoed through the elevator and down the shaft above them. Tears leaked down his face as he tried to reel in his cries.

The second the pipe was out, Kendall was immediately pushing his jacket against the wound, just like David's instructions. But the harder he pushed, the more Logan cried out in pain. Tears tracked down Kendall's face. "I'm sorry." He said shakily.

Logan finally managed to dial his screams down to grunts as he squeezed his eyes shut. "D-don't be." He strained, then looked up at Kendall through teary eyes. "You did good." He offered a small, weak smile.

Kendall didn't return it this time. His heart ached too much. Instead he fumbled beside him for his phone. "David?" He asked in a cracking voice.

"I'm here." David said.

"It's out." Kendall said. "I have the jacket on it. Th-the blood. . .I-it's everywhere." He whispered hauntingly.

"How fast is it flowing?" David asked. "Is it like a sink tap? Maybe like when it is turned on half way?"

"No." Kendall said. "More like a quarter way. It's trickling fast, but not running steadily."

"Okay, that's good!" David breathed. "Ya did good Kendall, just like your friend said."

"You heard that?" Kendall asked.

"I heard everything." David said softly. "Sounds like a good friend you got there. And I'm proud of you kid. You're really strong and brave."

"I don't f-feel it." Kendall muttered brokenly.

"Well you are." David assured. "I'll be there soon. Just hang tight and keep lots of pressure on the wound."

"Okay." Kendall said. "Thank you."

"Of course kid." David said. "I'll see you soon. Stay strong." Then there was a click and the line went dead.

Kendall ended the call on his end and let the phone slip from his hand lazily. He felt emotionally drained.

"Kendall?" Logan croaked weakly.

Kendall turned to him in worry. "Are you okay Logan?"

"Been better." Logan croaked. "But I'm fine for now. What about you?"

"_Me_?" Kendall asked. "What _about_ me? I already told you I'm fine. I don't have any injuries. I'm not hur-"

"Physically, isn't the only way to hurt you know." Logan cut him off. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Kendall stared at him for a bit, before dropping his gaze. "No." He muttered. "I'm not okay. I'm far from okay. This is nuts! We're stuck in an elevator that's hanging over who knows how many feet, and you could very well bleed to death! And I can't do anything about it!"

Logan found Kendall's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Kendall." He said, gaining his attention. "I'm scared too." Logan whispered.

Kendall stared at him, then sighed. "I don't know what to do." He whispered brokenly. "I'm so scared."

"You don't have to do anything." Logan said gently. "I'm just glad I'm not alone in here." He offered a small smile.

Kendall smiled back and squeezed Logan's hand. "I'm glad I'm here with you too."

Logan smiled. "I'm glad you're okay." He said.

Kendall chuckled bitterly. "I wish I could say the same." He said, barely holding back a sob. "I wish it was me." He whispered tearfully. "I wish I was the one that was hurt instead of you."

"Don't say that." Logan said, squeezing his hand.

"It should be me." Kendall said. "I'm supposed to protect you! You should be perfectly fine! I wish I was in your place!"

"No." Logan said firmly. "I'm glad it's me instead of you. You can make it through this. I wouldn't have been able to do what you did. I wouldn't have been able to keep calm through all this if it was you that was hurt. You're stronger than me Kendall."

"That's not true." Kendall said in a cracking voice. "You're the strongest person I know. You're calm right now! You were calm even when you knew you were hurt. You were calm when you knew I had to pull out the pipe. You were strong when I _did_ pull it out! I couldn't handle all that."

"I was only calm because I knew I was in good hands." Logan said. "I _know_ I'm in good hands. You'll take care of me. 'Til the end." He smiled.

"Don't say that." Kendall said brokenly. "Don't say 'end'."

"Sorry." Logan muttered. "But it's true."

Kendall finally let a small smile cross his face. "Yeah, it is. Just like you'd do for me."

Logan smiled. "And we'd both do for-"

Then Kendall's phone started ringing.

* * *

Carlos and James scrambled across the pool for Carlos' phone. They only hoped it was still intact after Carlos had dropped it on the hard ground.

Carlos dived for the phone, sliding across the ground, and scooped it up. He quickly pressed the buttons.

James was crouching by his side in seconds. "Does it still work?"

Carlos hit a button and the screen lit up. "Yes!"

"Quick call Logan back!" James said. "See if they're alright."

Carlos quickly pressed the speed dial and waited anxiously as it rang. But it went to a dial tone. Carlos frowned. "Dial tone?"

James felt a worry start to crawl up his heart. "Something must've happened to his phone. Try Kendall."

Carlos nodded and hit Kendall's speed dial number. One ring. Two rings. Three ri-

"Carlos?" Kendall's frantic voice came through the phone. "Are you okay? Is James with you? Is he okay?"

"Kendall!" Carlos cheered. Then he quickly switched the phone to speaker. "I'm fine, James is here too. We're both fine."

"What about you?" James asked. "Are you okay? Is Logan with you?"

There was a silence for a bit. James and Carlos shared a worried glance.

"I'm fine." Kendall said. "Just a bump on the head. Nothing serious. We're stuck in the elevator. I've already called nine-one-one. They're coming to get us out."

"Okay." Carlos said. "We'll come and meet you. Maybe we can get you out before they come. Do you know what floor you're on?"

"No." Kendall said. "We fell pretty far. We may be on the first floor, or even somewhere in the basement for all I know."

"Okay." Carlos said. "We'll come and find you. Keep an ear out for us."

"Okay." Kendall said.

"Kendall." James cut in firmly. "Where's Logan?"

There was silence.

James huffed in frustration. "I know he's with you." He said in annoyance. "You kept saying 'we'. What's going on? How hurt is he?"

Silence again, until Kendall sighed. "It's pretty bad." He said softly. "H-he's. . .Th-there was a. . ."

"Kendall?" James asked worriedly.

Carlos looked up to James with fearful eyes. He'd never heard Kendall so. . .Broken. So. . .Scared.

There was a shuffling on the other end. "Hey guys." Logan said in a groggy voice.

"Logan?" Carlos asked worriedly. "What's going on? Are you alright? Where'd Kendall go?"

"He's still here." Logan said. "Just a little tired, and worried. You know how he gets."

"Logan,". James said firmly. "What's going on?"

"Are you hurt?" Carlos asked in dread and fear.

"Just a little gash." Logan said. "Don't worry about me."

"Lair." James said softly, tears rising to his eyes. "How bad is it?"

There was silence again.

"Look,". Logan finally began. "As long as the medics hurry, I'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about."

"And if they don't?" Carlos asked fearfully. "What then?"

"They will." Logan assured.

"Or _we_ will." James said determinedly, then stood up, pulling Carlos up as well. "We're coming for you guys. Don't worry."

"We'll see you soon, okay Logie?" Carlos said. "Tell Kendall bye for us, and that he doesn't need to worry. We have everything covered."

"Okay." Logan said. "See you soon then. Bye. Love you guys."

"Bye Logie." Carlos said cheerfully.

"We'll see you real soon." James said determinedly, then hung up the phone and turned to Carlos. "Come on." He grabbed his arm and led him.

They turned around to walk through the lobby, but stopped in their tracks. The balcony had fallen in their way, blocking the path.

James huffed. "We'll have to go around."

Ten minutes later, too long for James' liking, they had found the front doors and were able to climb through the debris and into the Palm Woods. They walked fast, fear gripping their hearts.

They walked up to the elevator doors and stopped. They leaned their ears against the doors to listen for any signs of their friends.

"Kendall? Logan?" Carlos called. "Guys, are you in there?" Nothing.

"Must be lower down." James said. "We'll have to take the stairs."

Carlos nodded and followed James to the stair doors. James opened the door and they both stopped.

Debris; fallen ceiling slabs, some broken stairs and railings had littered all down the stairs. When they looked up they saw the same thing.

James tentatively reached a hand out to the railing. When he touched it, the whole thing teetered and creaked.

Carlos shot a hand to James' shoulder, stopping him. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked worriedly.

"I never said it _was_." James said bitterly as he eyed the stairway. "But we don't have any other options."

James carefully and slowly continued down the stairs, Carlos right behind him. All they needed to do was reach the next level to check if the elevator was there. Then they'd check the next level, and so on.

Halfway down the stairs, and the rumbling started.

"Uh, James?" Carlos asked worriedly. "I think it's starting again!"

"We have to hurry!" James yelled. Throwing caution to the wind, they ran down the stairs as they vibrated and trembled.

Debris from higher levels started raining down, barely missing them as they zigzagged down the stairs, trying to dodge everything. A particularly large piece of the overhead staircase creaked and shook, before coming right off the wall.

James caught sight just in time and stopped dead in his tracks just as it came crashing down in front of him. The impact jostled the whole staircase, causing James and Carlos to lose their balance and fall back on the stairs.

The stairway under the fallen stairs in front of James creaked some more, before there was a cracking.

"It's gonna break apart!" James yelled. "Go back! Go back!"

They both scrambled to their feet and up the stairs, but were again, shaken to the ground as the bottom stairs broke off. The break climbed up the stairs, taking more with it.

Carlos watched helplessly as the stairs crumbled faster up to them. Right under James. The stairs beneath James broke apart from the rest, and they fell, taking James with them.

James' instincts kicked in and he grabbed the intact staircase just before he fell, hanging over the rest of the broken stairwell as it shook and rumbled.

Then, just like last time, the rumbling tremors suddenly stopped, and everything was still.

"James!" Carlos yelled, kneeling at the edge. He reached his hand out and grabbed James' wrist, pulling him up.

James quickly grabbed Carlos and climbed back onto safe ground, breathing heavily. "Thanks Carlos." He breathed.

Carlos patted James' shoulder in response, trying to catch his breath. "That was weird." He breathed. "That earthquake was shorter than last time."

"That's 'cause it wasn't an earthquake." James breathed. "What did Logan call it?"

* * *

"Aftershock." Logan breathed heavily. "It's like a smaller earthquake that happens after the big one. It's basically the earth trying to adjust to the devastation of the previous earthquake."

"Right." Kendall breathed, nodding. "Forgot." He looked down at Logan. "Are you okay?"

Logan nodded weakly. "You?"

"Yeah." Kendall breathed, then whiped out his phone.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Carlos asked desperately as he stared at the debris in front of him, blocking the stairs. He turned back to the broken stairs at the bottom. "We're stuck!"

Just then James' phone started ringing. James quickly pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello?" He asked frantically.

"James, are you guys okay?" Kendall asked worriedly.

"Yeah, you?" James asked.

"Yeah." Kendall breathed.

"Kendall,". James began dreadingly. "We're stuck in the stairwell. The bottom stairs broke off and the top is blocked off. We can't get out."

James heard a heavy sigh on the other end. "Okay." Kendall breathed. "Then we'll all just have to wait for the paramedics to get here. Just stay put. Don't move around too much. You don't want the rest of the stairs to fall."

"But what about you guys?" James asked. "You're still stuck in that elevator that could still give and fall! Plus Logan-"

"We'll be fine." Kendall said. "Just, don't let those stairs fall."

James sighed in submission. "Don't let that _elevator_ fall." He said dryly.

Kendall chuckled lightly, then grew serious again. "We should save our phone minutes, just in case." He said with despair in his voice. "Say hi to Carlos for me. And take care of each other."

James scoffed. "You don't have to tell us that. We've been doing it without a thought since we met, you know that."

Kendall chuckled. "I know."

James chuckled softly. "But we will. And you too. Take extra good care of Logan. And say hi for me and Carlos."

"I will." Kendall said softly.

"I mean it." James said seriously. He shot a subtle side-glance at Carlos, who was staring at the debris, trying to find a way through. James turned away from him so he couldn't hear. "Don't take your eyes off of him." James said firmly. "Don't you let him say goodbye." He whispered tearfully.

James heard Kendall sniffle. "Promise." Kendall whispered.

"Okay." James said. "See you guys soon."

"Yeah." Kendall said. "See you soon."

Then James hung up the phone, sniffling and wiping his eyes.

"James?" Carlos asked softly.

James offered him a small smile. "Kendall says hi."


	2. Doublet

**Author's note: And here's part two.**

**Still no slash.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.**

* * *

Aftershock Pt. 2

"Well?" Logan asked as he watched Kendall hang up his phone. "Are they okay?"

Kendall nodded. "Yeah, they're fine. But they got stuck in the stairwell. They can't get through."

Logan sighed. "I guess we're all stuck then. All we can do is wait."

"Yeah." Kendall said softly in dread. Then smirked down at Logan. "James and Carlos say hi, by the way."

Logan smiled softly. "Hi back." He said softly.

Kendall chuckled softly, before it died in his throat, replaced by dread and fear. It was silent for a while.

"I wonder how bad it is out there." Logan said softly as he stared up the shaft.

"Yeah." Kendall said softly. "I can't imagine what it must be like." He sniffled. "I hope mom and Katie are okay." He whispered.

"I'm sure they are." Logan said, looking to him with a weak smile. "They were in a public area, and a shopping mall where I'm sure there's lots of cover. And even if they did need a hospital, they could get to one easily."

"I guess you're right." Kendall said. "I just wish I could reach them from down here." He glared at his limited cell phone. "Stupid phone." He muttered.

Logan chuckled softly, but it morphed into a painful and harsh coughing fit.

"Logan!" Kendall said worriedly. He quickly leaned up on his knees and gently helped Logan turn on his side with one hand, to help him breathe better. Fear caught his breath as he saw blood trickle out of Logan's mouth. "Oh god." Kendall whispered fearfully.

Logan's coughing finally slowed and he laid back on his back weakly, breathing heavily.

"Logan?" Kendall asked fearfully.

Logan's breathing was shallow and harsh as it echoed through the elevator shaft. He managed a small nod. "I'm okay." He rasped weakly.

Kendall ran a shaky hand through his hair, trying to hold back his tears. He glanced down at his other hand, firmly pressing his jacket against Logan's wounded side.

The whole jacket was soaked in red. Kendall doubted he'd ever wear that jacket again, even if his mom _did_ manage to get the stains out. The first chance he got, he would throw the jacket in a garbage can far away from him.

The blood had seeped through the jacket, coating and staining Kendall's hand in red, in blood. _Logan's_ blood. The tears finally broke through and Kendall's vision blurred as he stared at his hand, watching the red slowly drip onto the carpeted floor of the elevator.

Kendall flinched slightly, with the sudden contact of Logan's hand on his other. Kendall slowly looked to Logan with teary eyes.

Logan offered a small smile. "It'll be okay." He said softly.

Kendall sniffled. "How do you know that?" He asked softly. "How do you know everything will be okay, when you're hurt like this? When we're stuck in this elevator with no way out? When James and Carlos are stuck somewhere else? The whole city is probably in a panic. How do you know everything will be okay?"

Logan sighed. "I don't." He answered quietly. "But I have to hope it will."

Kendall sighed. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry this happened to _you_. I'm sorry there's nothing I can do to help you! I'm sorry that all I'm able to do is think bad and scary thoughts while holding a stupid jacket tight to stop you from freakin' bleeding to death!" He exclaimed in despair, then dropped his gaze to the ground with a small sob. "I'm sorry." He whispered brokenly.

"Kendall,". Logan began gently. "You're doing everything you possibly can. That's all that you need to do. And I know you'll be okay, because you're strong. You're the strongest person I know. You and James and Carlos are the strongest people I have ever met. You'll make it through this. You guys will be okay."

"Hey." Kendall said sternly. "So will you."

Logan sighed. "Kendall-"

"So. Will. You." Kendall repeated slowly and firmly. "Say it Logan. You're gonna be okay."

Logan's eyes shimmered in the small light of Kendall's cell phone. He blinked, trying to suppress the tears.

"Say it!" Kendall said desperately.

Logan sniffled, then gave Kendall's hand a small squeeze. "Okay. So will I." He said softly.

Kendall squeezed Logan's hand. "We all will." He whispered to himself. "We're all gonna be okay. We have to be." Tears slid down his cheeks as he stared at the hand he had firmly clasped in Logan's. "We have to be." He whispered softly.

* * *

Carlos tried looking over the broken stairs blocking their path for the hundredth time. There had to be a way out. They had to get out so they could help Kendall and Logan.

But Carlos knew there was no way out. He'd known that for the past hour. Still he looked. Still he tried finding some way to get over, or under, or through, or around. But there was nothing. They were trapped.

Carlos sneaked a peek at James. He'd been in the same position for the past hour they were stuck there on that stairwell.

James sat on the steps, his elbows on his knees, and his hands clasped together and resting against his lips. With all his strength he held in his tears. With all his strength he tried not to think about what could happen. . .What just might happen.

_'Love you guys.'_

That was the last thing Logan had said to them. James had his suspicions right from the moment Logan didn't answer his phone that something wasn't right. And then when Kendall answered his phone. . .It was in his voice. Kendall sounded so. . .Not like Kendall. He was worried and scared and on the verge of tears. James knew that much.

_'Love you guys.'_

It's not like the boys don't say it a lot to each other. They do all the time. They were brothers after all, it's what family does. Maybe not by blood, but definitely by bond.

But the way Logan said it. . .The way he made sure it was the last thing James and Carlos heard from him before they hung up the phone. . .

A tear slipped down James' cheek and he closed his eyes. He knew Logan too well. At that moment, he almost wished he hadn't. He knew that Logan thought he wasn't going to make it. James knew that Logan was hurt badly. He knew that there was a possibility that Logan might. . .

No. Logan was going to be fine. James made sure that Kendall was going to _make_ Logan okay. He made sure that Kendall would do anything to keep Logan with them, and that he wouldn't let Logan say goodbye. James knew that Kendall hardly needed motivation for that, but it was at least a little comforting to hear it.

James' hands shook and he squeezed them together to try and still them. He couldn't be weak. He couldn't be scared that they would be stuck there. He couldn't be scared that Logan might not make it out of this. James couldn't be scared _period_, because-

"James?" Carlos asked softly.

Because he needed to be strong for Carlos.

James quickly wiped his face with a sniffle and turned around to face Carlos, a small smile plastered on his face. "It'll be okay 'Litos." He said confidently.

Carlos sat down beside James and leaned against his shoulder, as James wrapped his arm around his shoulders. "I'm scared." Carlos whispered.

"I know buddy." James said, rubbing his arm comfortingly. "But we'll be okay. The medics will be here soon and get us out and we'll be perfectly fine."

"I'm not scared about _us_." Carlos said. "I'm scared for Kendall and Logan. Kendall sounded so scared. He's not supposed to be scared! He's _Kendall_! He's supposed to be happy and brave and always know that everything is okay."

"I know." James said. "But Kendall is still only human. He can't be brave forever. That's when we swoop in, and be brave for him. Just like he does for us."

"I know." Carlos said softly. "But I don't like it when Kendall is scared. He's too amazing, he doesn't deserve to be scared."

"I know buddy." James said softly. "You're right. None of us do. But it's why we have each other. So we can be brave for each other when the other person is scared."

"That's not true." Carlos said. He sat up and looked at James.

"What do you mean?" James asked in confusion.

"That's not why we have each other." Carlos said. "We don't have each other to be brave for everyone. We have each other so that we can be _scared _together. So that, when everything is wrong and scary, we're never alone. We're there for each other when we're _all_ scared, together."

James stared at Carlos in surprise, his eyes shimmering.

Carlos leaned close to James. "I'm scared James." He whispered. "But it's okay, because I know _you're_ scared too. We're both scared, and Kendall is scared, and I'm sure Logan is scared too. We're _all_ scared, but we're all scared _together_. Isn't that how we always do things; Together?" He smirked lightly.

James let a small smile cross his face. "Yeah, it is." He said softly, dropping his gaze. "I'm scared Carlos." He whispered.

Carlos wrapped James in a comforting hug. "I know. And it's okay."

James squeezed him back, finally letting a few tears fall down his cheeks. Then he sniffled and pulled away, offering Carlos a small smile. "Thanks Carlos." He said softly.

Carlos wiped his wet eyes and smiled back. "Well it's about time I help _you_ for a change." He muttered good-heartedly.

James wrapped an arm around him and hugged him close. "Don't be silly. You're always just what we need 'Los."

They settled up against the wall close to each other, and leaned against the wall in silence for a while.

Until a sob escaped.

"Carlos?" James asked softly, giving Carlos' shoulders a gentle squeeze.

Carlos sniffed. "I should've said it back." He sobbed softly.

"Said what back, buddy?" James asked softly as he rested his head on Carlos'.

"When Logan said he loved us." Carlos said. "I thought that, if I didn't say it back, then he'd _have_ to stay okay, to see us again, so that he could hear me say it when we were all safe. I figured that not saying it would mean that we would see each other again so I can say it to him."

"You'll see each other again." James assured. "We all will, and we'll all be able to say it again."

Carlos scoffed. "Yeah right. Why do you think he said it in the first place?" He looked at James with bitterness, heartbreak and tears in his eyes.

James sighed and dropped his gaze.

"He doesn't think he's gonna see us again." Carlos whispered brokenly. "That could mean that he's hurt really badly and he won't make it, or the elevator they're in could break, and Logan _and_ Kendall won't make it. Or both."

James squeezed Carlos to his chest as he started to cry. "Shhh." James soothed. "Don't think like that. They're gonna be okay, and we'll be okay. We'll all be fine and see each other again real soon." James said, tears falling down his face. He prayed his hardest that he wouldn't be wrong.

* * *

"Logan?" Kendall asked softly.

"Hmm?" Logan hummed in response.

"Just checking." Kendall said.

Logan smiled weakly. "It's only been five minutes." He croaked.

"That's more than enough time for something to happen." Kendall pointed out. "That first earthquake happened in only five minutes."

"That's true." Logan rasped. "But I'm pretty sure it's done now. It's been at least an hour, maybe an hour and a half, since that last aftershock. I think if anything else was going to happen, it would have by now."

Kendall scoffed. "Yeah, and the paramedics should've been here by now too." He muttered bitterly.

"Give them time." Logan said gently. "It's probably chaos out there. It's not their fault that there's other people to save along the way. Some in more danger than us. You can't blame them."

"I can if I want to." Kendall muttered bitterly.

Logan's face fell sympathetic. He gave Kendall's hand a weak squeeze. "Kendall, it's going to be alright. You have to believe that."

"How?" Kendall asked bitterly. "How can I believe that when everything is so wrong right now? How can I believe that when you're. . ." He trailed off, dropping his gaze.

Logan sighed. "Because we _need_ you to believe it. James and Carlos are scared too, just like you. The only thing we have left is hope that everything will be okay."

Kendall sighed. "But how?" He asked softly. "How can you have hope, when with each passing second, there's a chance that. . .That you might not make it." His voice cracked. "I can't do this Logan. I can't lose you. Neither can James and Carlos. We need you. We need you to be okay."

Logan sighed, falling silent.

It was silent for a while, then Logan sniffled. "Kendall?" He asked softly, his voice full of tears.

Kendall sniffled and squeezed Logan's hand. "Yeah Logie?" He asked softly.

"I'm scared." Logan whispered tearfully.

A sob escaped Kendall's mouth at the confession.

"I'm scared for you guys." Logan whispered. "I'm scared that you guys will change because of this. I'm scared that you guys won't be okay. What if James and Carlos are hurt too? What if something else happens? What if this elevator falls and you get hurt too? I don't want you guys to get hurt."

"I know buddy." Kendall said in a cracking voice. He scooted closer to Logan's face, squeezing his hand while still keeping his other firmly pressed against Logan's bleeding side. "I don't either."

"Kendall, I'm scared." Logan whispered, tears falling down his face. "I don't want to die."

Kendall let out a sob. He squeezed Logan's hand close to his chest. "Logie." He said in a cracking voice.

"I don't want to leave you guys." Logan cried softly. "I'm so scared."

"It's gonna be okay." Kendall said softly. He shifted his position and slid his arm under Logan's neck, bringing him close to him and squeezing him tight. "Everything's gonna be okay." Kendall whispered softly as he cried silently. "Please, let everything be okay." He prayed softly.

* * *

"I wonder what Katie's thinking right about now." Kendall said with a smirk.

"Probably how she can make money out of this." Logan joked softly.

Kendall chuckled. "I bet she has a stand set up with blankets and canned food for twenty dollars a piece."

"She'll go higher than that." Logan breathed. "Probably fifty."

"Yeah." Kendall chuckled. "I bet she's making a fortune, while mom is trying to return everything _and_ lecture Katie about morals at the same time."

"I bet. . .Your mom, could do it." Logan said weakly, breathing heavily. "Your mom. . .Is pretty. . .Awesome that way."

Kendall looked down at Logan with worry and dread. His heart started beating faster when he noticed just how much of Logan's strength was fading since the last hour had passed, and fading fast.

"Come on Logan." Kendall said worriedly. He pressed harder against the jacket, making Logan whimper in pain. "Sorry." Kendall whispered. "But you gotta stay with me. Don't give up the fight."

"It hurts." Logan whispered, his closed eyes leaking tears. "Kendall, please. Make it stop." He sounded delirious now.

Kendall let a sob out. "I'm sorry Logan. I'm doing all I can. Just a little bit longer. The medics will be here soon. Just hold on. Please."

"I always wanted to be a doctor." Logan whispered weakly. He stared up at the shaft, his teary eyes seemingly far away. "Do you think I would've made a good doctor Kendall? Do you think I would've been able to get into med school?"

Kendall sniffled. "Of course I do Logan. You _will_ be a great doctor. You'll go to med school and pass with flying colors. And you'll become a doctor and save tons of lives. We all know it."

"I wanted so badly to see James become famous." Logan whispered. "And Carlos to be amazing at what he wanted to do. And you to be the best hockey player in history. I wanted to see Katie grow up and graduate and become successful."

"You will." Kendall sniffled. "You just gotta hold on."

"I wanted to see the pride in Mrs. Knight's eyes when she saw you two." Logan whispered tearfully. "I wanted to see how happy she'd be to see you guys make your mark in the world." A sob escaped Logan. "I wanted to see you all happy and doing what you loved and being amazing at it."

"It's going to happen." Kendall said firmly in a cracking voice. "You'll see all of that. And we'll see you graduate medical school at the top of your class, and become an amazing doctor and save thousands of lives."

"Mrs. Knight and Katie were happy this morning." Logan said softly. "They were going to get more Cuda products for James, and Carlos' favorite dinosaur nuggets at the store. They were planning on getting you a new hockey stick, because Katie accidentally chipped yours when she tripped over it yesterday. They were so happy to be able to get those things for you guys."

"I'm sure they'll be just as happy when they give them to us later." Kendall said. "When we get out of here."

"Mrs. Knight told me she was gonna buy me a new book." Logan said tearfully. "She noticed that I had read all of the ones I have, and she was gonna get me a new one. Surprise me with it when they got home. Now her money's gonna go to waste." He whispered with a sob.

"No it's not." Kendall said. "You're gonna love the book she got for you, because she knows exactly what you like."

"James and Carlos asked me to play with them at the pool." Logan said softly. "They were playing football. I said that I didn't want to leave you to wake up in an empty apartment. They were so disappointed. I should've played with them. They're probably mad at me for turning them down."

"They're not mad at you." Kendall said. "They could never be mad at you Logan."

"This morning feels so long ago." Logan whispered weakly. "I wish I could see them all." A small sob escaped. "One last time."

"Logan, don't give up!" Kendall cried. "You gotta hold on! Please!"

Suddenly there was a creaking sound. Kendall frowned and looked up through the emergency cover into the shaft. The doors just above them were slowly opening, with what looked to be a crowbar wedged in the middle.

Finally the doors were open and a head peeked through. "Hello? Is anyone down there?"

"Hello?" Kendall called up, his shaky and cracking voice echoing through the elevator.

"Is that you Kendall?" The other man called down.

"David?" Kendall called.

"Yeah." David chuckled. "It's me. Sorry we took so long. It's hell out there. We'll be down in a minute to get you out of there."

"Please hurry!" Kendall called up. "My friend needs help _now_!"

"We're on our way." David called. "Just hold on."

Kendall looked down to Logan's weak face. "Did you hear that buddy? A little bit longer, and we're outa here. It's going to be okay."

Logan smiled weakly. "Help came." He whispered.

"That's right, Logie." Kendall said softly. "They've come and they're gonna get us out of here."

"Then, you're gonna be okay." Logan whispered weakly.

"Yeah Logan." Kendall said. "We're gonna be okay. Just hold on a little bit longer."

"They're gonna get you out,". Logan whispered. "And get James and Carlos, and you're all gonna be okay." He whispered in relief.

"_We're_, Logan. _We're_ gonna be okay." Kendall said firmly. "All of us."

"I'm so cold, Kendall." Logan whispered tearfully. "I'm so cold."

"Shhh." Kendall soothed tearfully as he hugged Logan close. "It's gonna be okay, Logie. The medics are gonna come down and get you help, they're gonna fix you up, and you'll be just fine. You'll see. Everyone will be just fine. I promise."

Suddenly there was a loud bang, startling Kendall, and the doors to the elevators started creaking open. Like the first time, a crowbar was wedged in between and was pushing the doors apart. A small crack of light streamed in and slowly enlarged as the doors were fully pulled apart.

Once the doors were open fully, Kendall could see that the elevator was stopped halfway from the first basement doors. Only half of the elevator was on the level, the other half was below the doors, in front of a wall. Luckily the gap was big enough to crouch through.

A man carefully jumped into the elevator and crouched next to the boys. "Hey boys, I'm David. I'm gonna get you out of here." He smiled at them, then motioned behind him and two more men with a stretcher carefully climbed into the elevator. The men moved to the other side of Logan opposite of Kendall, and set up the stretcher.

One of the men crouched beside Kendall and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Ya did good kid." He said. "We can take over from here." He hovered his hand over the hand Kendall had against Logan's side.

Kendall stared at him warily, then at his hand suspiciously. Then he felt another hand on his shoulder and turned to David.

"It's okay Kendall." David said gently. "They're here to help."

Kendall stared at him for a bit, before slowly nodding.

"Okay." The other medic said. "Nice and easy." The medic laid his hand on Kendall's, and Kendall carefully slid his from under the man's, then the man pressed hard against the jacket.

Logan whimpered in pain, and Kendall quickly grabbed Logan's hand and squeezed it in both of his. "It's okay Logan." He said. "I'm right here."

The medics positioned themselves on either end of Logan, and carefully lifted him onto the stretcher, though it still jostled his wound and made him cry out.

"I've got ya buddy." Kendall said tearfully, squeezing Logan's hand. "It's gonna be okay."

"Don't leave me." Logan whispered tearfully.

"I won't." Kendall said softly. "I'm right here. I promise."

The medics lifted the stretcher up and, with Kendall's help, made their way out of the elevator. Then they carried Logan out, Kendall gripping his hand the whole time.

* * *

James frowned when he suddenly heard footsteps and looked above them.

"Hello?" A man called. "Is anyone down here?"

"Hello?" James called.

"We're down here!" Carlos called.

A man peeked his head over the railing high up above them. "Are you James and Carlos?" The man asked.

"Yes!" James asked. "How'd you-"

"You're friend told us to come and get you." The man called. "A blonde kid named Kendall."

"Is he okay?" James asked. "Are they-"

"Don't worry." The man called. "Your friends are safe now and on their way to the hospital."

James and Carlos both sighed in relief.

"We're coming to get you guys." The man called. "Just hold tight."

Then a rope was thrown over the railing, dangling in front of James and Carlos, and a man in a harness descended down to them.

"Alright." The man breathed. "Ready to get out of here?"

James and Carlos shared a look, then looked back to the man. "You have no idea."

* * *

James bounced his foot anxiously as he sat in the waiting room. He'd already been checked over by a doctor, stating that he was completely unharmed, except for a few cuts and bruises from falling debris. Like James didn't already know that. The time wasted being checked up on was time James could've been spending looking for Kendall and Logan. To say that he was frustrated would be an understatement.

James glanced over at Carlos. Luckily the doctors had announced that he was fine as well, despite the near drowning he'd had. Just cuts and bruises like James.

When the two had made it to the hospital they had immediately asked about Kendall and Logan. They had asked if they were alright, if they were there, which rooms they were in. The only information they got was that someone would be out shortly to talk to them. So they were seated in the waiting room, and they waited.

And waited.

A half an hour.

To say the boys were anxious and worried and frustrated and scared, would be an understatement.

"Do you think they're okay?" Carlos asked quietly, disrupting the maddening silence.

"Of course they are." James answered. "You know Kendall and Logan. They wouldn't let a little earthquake bring them down." He gave Carlos a smirk.

Carlos dropped his gaze. He wanted to believe James, he really did. But he couldn't shake the inkling of doubt he had.

James wrapped an arm around Carlos and pulled him close. "It'll be okay Carlos. They're fine. Just like us. We always do things the same, remember?" He joked lightly.

Carlos smiled lightly. "Yeah."

They heard footsteps approaching them and shot their heads up, seeing two figures walking down the hall.

"Kendall!" James and Carlos exclaimed and jumped out of their seats.

Kendall looked up just in time to see James and Carlos running towards him, before he was tackled into a tight group hug. "James, Carlos! Thank god you're okay." He breathed as he squeezed them back.

"What about you?" James asked as they all pulled away. "Are you okay?"

Kendall nodded. "Just a bump on the head. No concussion or anything. Nothing serious."

"I was so worried." Carlos said tearfully. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Kendall pulled him into another tight hug. "It's okay 'Los. I'm right here."

Carlos squeezed him back and nodded with a sniffle. "Good." They pulled away and Carlos smiled at him. "Stay that way."

Kendall offered him a small smile and nodded.

"Kendall,". James said seriously. "What about Logan? Is he okay?"

Kendall hesitated, before turning to the second man in the hall, who had been watching the exchange from afar. The medic walked back up to them and nodded at Kendall. Kendall sighed. "We don't know." He said miserably.

"He was rushed into surgery the second we arrived." The medic said. "I went with Kendall here to make sure he was alright, but now that I see he's in good hands,". He smiled and James and Carlos. "I'll go see what I can find out about your friend."

"Thank you David." Kendall said. "For everything."

David nodded. "It's my job." He smiled.

"You're the one that found them, aren't you?" Carlos asked.

David nodded with a smile.

Carlos surprised David by suddenly wrapping him in a hug. "Thank you." Carlos said softly. "For saving my friends."

David stood awkwardly for a moment. He glanced at James and Kendall who were grinning. James nodded in agreement with Carlos, mouthing _'Thank you' _to David as well. David smiled and hugged the boy back. "You're welcome." He said softly.

Carlos pulled away and smiled up at David. "You're our hero." He said.

David smiled, tears shimmering in his eyes. "I'm happy I could help." He said as he bowed his head modestly. "I'm gonna go check on your friend now. Sit tight, I'll be back."

The boys nodded with 'thank you's as the medic walked away. Then they all sat in the waiting room chairs. Kendall sat in the middle, with an arm around both James and Carlos, and they had and arm around Kendall. They didn't care that their closeness may have seemed weird for onlookers, they needed it more than anything at that moment.

* * *

Kendall jerked awake when his head slipped from his hand, and he sat up straighter, shifting in the plastic chair to get more comfortable. Then he looked around the room and observed the other occupants.

Everyone else was asleep. James sat in the chair opposite Kendall, with Carlos by his side. Both had their heads leaning against each other.

Kendall looked beside him and found his mom and Katie sleeping as well. Mrs. Knight had an arm around Katie, and was resting her head on Katie's, while Katie snuggled against her chest. Kendall was so thankful that they had finally called him and were perfectly fine. The second they walked into the waiting room Kendall felt so much better. Not fully, but definitely a lot better.

Finally, Kendall's gaze rested on the sleeping form in the hospital bed. Logan looked as white as the sheets. If it wasn't for the constant and steady beeping of the heart monitor, and slow raise and fall of his chest, there'd be no sign of life.

Kendall sighed as he stared at Logan. He still hadn't woken up yet since they made it to the hospital and he was rushed into surgery. Kendall was pretty sure that was the scariest moment of his life. The whole _day_ was the scariest moment of his life. When the medics had wheeled Logan away from him, Kendall had a sinking feeling that that was the last time he'd ever see Logan again. It took all his strength to keep from breaking down right then and there, when David pulled him away from the stretcher, and from Logan.

But Logan made it out of surgery okay. Kendall had forgotten how many stitches the doctor said he needed, but he remembered it was _a lot_. The doctor said that if it had been any longer, if Logan had lost a drop more blood, it would've been to late. They would've lost him. They would've lost Logan.

A small sob escaped Kendall, and he quickly sniffled and covered his mouth, hoping it hadn't woken anyone.

"I know." Came a whisper. Kendall lifted his teary eyes to see James staring at him, then look to Logan with his own teary eyes. "We almost lost him." James whispered tearfully.

Kendall sniffled, nodding as he returned his gaze back to Logan's sleeping form. He looked so peaceful, unlike the pained and exhausted, and _dying_ state Kendall had last seen him in. "We almost lost him." Kendall repeated in a haunted and broken whisper.

"But we didn't." Carlos suddenly whispered tearfully. He sniffled. "That's what matters. Logan's still with us. He's alive, and he's gonna be okay."

James draped an arm around Carlos' shoulders, pulling him close. "You're right 'Los."

Kendall smiled softly. "Yeah. You're right. We still have our Logie. He's okay."

"I'm so proud of you boys." Mrs. Knight suddenly whispered tearfully. "You're all so strong and brave, and amazing. I'm so glad you're all okay." She said as she stroked Kendall's face lovingly. Kendall leaned into the touch, carefully hugging her back while being wary of the sleeping Katie in her arms.

"We're glad you're okay too." James said softly as he watched with a smile.

Kendall started to pull away from his mom when he felt another pair of arms wrap around him. He shifted one arm to wrap around the slightly trembling Katie. "It's okay Katie." He said softly. "I'm right here. Everything's okay now."

"I was so scared." Katie whispered shakily. "Everything was chaos, I didn't know where you were."

"I know baby sister." Kendall said softly as he stroked her hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

Katie sniffled as she shook her head. She pulled away and looked up at Kendall. "Don't be. Because you were there for Logan." She looked over at Logan sleeping on the bed. "You kept him with us." She whispered.

Kendall wrapped an arm around Katie, pulling her close, and she leaned against his chest. Then it was silent for a while.

Carlos frowned and sat forward, staring at the bed. "I think he's waking up." He announced.

The others followed his gaze to Logan, seeing his brows furrow in concentration.

"It's okay Logie." James said. He laid a hand on Logan's shoulder. "Take it easy."

Finally, Logan's eyes slowly opened and looked over everyone in the room. Then a weak smile light up his face. "You're all okay." He whispered.

James chuckled lightly. "Yeah, we are. And so are you."

"We're all okay." Carlos said with a smile.

Logan's eyes rested on Kendall, and Kendall gave him a tearful smile. "Just like I promised."

Logan smiled.

* * *

"Come on!" Carlos yelled as he banged on the door. "Get out of the bathroom!"

"I'm almost done!" James called back.

"You said that ten minutes ago!" Carlos shouted back. "It's my turn! Get out or I'm coming in!"

"Just a minute!" James called.

"Uuuuuugh!" Carlos groaned angrily in frustration.

Kendall chuckled to himself as he heard the whole exchange from the couch. "You should've gotten in earlier." Kendall taunted. "Like what I did. You know James is in there for at least an hour every morning."

"Hey,". Carlos said defensively. "It's not my fault I didn't wake up in time! I was totally going to get in before James, but my alarm didn't go off!"

"Yes it did!" James called from behind the door. "But you threw it across the room and went back to sleep!"

"Not the point!" Carlos yelled as he continued banging on the door. "It's my turn so get out!"

"In a minute!" James yelled.

Kendall just chuckled and shook his head as he listened to the arguing pair. Then he heard footsteps and smiled as the newcomer sat down and sank into the couch. "Hey Logan!" He said cheerfully.

"Mornin'." Logan said, then observed the yelling Carlos. "Threw his alarm clock across the room again?"

"Yep." Kendall chuckled.

Logan chuckled as well. "When will he learn? You gotta get up early to beat James to the bathroom."

"I reckon, eventually." Kendall joked.

"I reckon never." Logan joked dryly. Then he turned back to Kendall. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

Kendall shrugged as he flipped through TV channels absentmindedly. "Dunno. Can't really think of anything to do, what with rehearsals still on hold."

Logan nodded in understanding. "What about those two?" He nodded to Carlos, who was still banging on the door and yelling.

"They're going down to the pool." Kendall said. "I think they're playing football or something. Wasn't really paying attention."

"Why don't we join them?" Logan asked hopefully. "That'll be fun! We could-" He sat forward too fast and hissed in pain, bringing his hand to his left side.

Kendall shot forward and knelt down in front of Logan. "Are you okay? You didn't break any stitches did you?" He asked frantically.

"I'm fine." Logan waved off, gently rubbing his side. "It's fine, Kendall. Really."

Kendall sighed. "You need to be more careful. It's only been two weeks since you got those stitches. You need to let them heal. The only reason the doctors let you out last week was because you _promised_ to take it easy." He scolded.

Logan sighed. "I know." He said disappointedly. "But I'm just so bored in here! I miss going down by the pool and hanging with you guys. It's not the same up here in this stuffy apartment."

"Be thankful we still have it." Kendall said quietly. "And that there wasn't too much damage, so it only took the workers a few days to rebuild the Palm Woods."

Logan sighed again. "I know." He said quietly.

Kendall's face fell sympathetic. He patted Logan's knee. "Cheer up. We'll do something fun in here today."

"Couldn't we go down by the pool?" Logan asked hopefully. "It's such a nice day out. And I'm starting to get cabin fever."

"Logan-" Kendall started.

"Please?" Logan asked. "I promise I'll stay seated in the pool chairs. I just need the fresh air."

"I don't see a problem with it." James interjected as he approached. He sat down beside Logan and gently slung an arm around his shoulders, then turned to Kendall. "We'll take extra good care of him. Besides, he could use a little sun. Look at how pale he is!"

"Please?" Logan asked.

"Pleeease?" James whined, they both leaned in close to Kendall expectantly.

Kendall stared at them both for a bit, then finally sighed. "Okay." He said.

"Yes!" James and Logan cheered as they high-fived.

"But you have to stay on the chairs." Kendall said firmly. "No running around, no jumping, no swimming, no throwing the ball around, no-"

"I get it!" Logan said with a chuckle. "Relax. I'll stay on the chairs. Geez." He said, shaking his head. "You sound like your mother." He joked.

"Hey, it's not my fault it takes the army to look after you guys." Kendall defended good-heartedly.

"Yeah yeah, we're a handful." James waved off. "We know. Let's just go to the pool already!"

"Woo hoo!" Carlos cheered as he emerged from the bathroom. "To the pool!"

* * *

"Catch it Carlos!" James called.

"I got it, I got it!" Carlos said as he positioned himself to catch the ball. "I-"

"Got it!" Kendall swooped in and caught the ball at the last second. "Haha!" He cheered.

"Gaaaaaah!" Carlos cried at he tackled Kendall under water. They both arose sputtering and fighting for the ball.

"Give it!" Carlos yelled.

"Not a chance!" Kendall cried tauntingly.

They tugged and wrestled, bumping into other occupants of the pool, but the boys didn't even notice.

Finally Carlos jerked the ball out of Kendall's fingers. "Ha!" He cried, then turned and pulled back to throw. "James!" He cried, then threw the ball, but with Kendall trying to grab for it, he couldn't aim properly and it went flying in a random direction.

James watched the ball carefully, moving to its trajectory. It flew all the way across the pool. He jumped just as it flew over him but missed and it landed outside of the pool.

The boys all turned to see the ball land perfectly in Logan's lap where he sat in the pool chair. He smirked and picked it up. "Kendall!" Logan yelled. "Go long!"

Kendall laughed as he pushed Carlos away and moved to where the ball was going to go. Then Logan tossed it.

James and Carlos moved as fast as they could through the water, trying to get to the ball as they watched it fly across the pool.

Kendall was positioned perfectly, and the toss was excellently executed. The ball fell right to Kendall, and all he had to do was reach up, and catch the ball.

Kendall slammed the ball into the water. "Touchdown!" He cried as he threw his arms up in victory.

James and Carlos both slammed their hands in the water in frustration, splashing each other. They looked to each other angrily and then tackled each other, rolling around in the water and dunking each other.

Kendall couldn't laugh any harder as he watched the pair. He glanced up and couldn't help but beam at the way Logan's smile lit up his face, and his laughter made him look more lively.

Kendall smiled to himself. It's like that earthquake two weeks ago, the earthquake that almost took all of their lives, never even happened. Everything was normal again.

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry again that it's so long, it probably bored all of you to bits. Sorry BookWorkKendall!**

**I know nothing of first aid, (except for that little CPR bit, which I had one class in) so DO NOT ATTEMPT ANYTHING MENTIONED IN THIS FIC! Just call 9-1-1 and listen to them. For all I know, Kendall could've killed Logan right there in real life when he pulled the pipe out, so don't go by my non-existent, fanfiction logic. Just sayin'.**

**Anyways, hope that wasn't too long and boring for y'all. Hope you liked it. :)**


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